ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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*NASA IS PREPARING TO LAND THE MARS ROVER NAMED "CURIOSITY"!*
Below are some ways to bring Curiosity into your events this summer or 
on the night of the landing
Sunday, August, 5th 2012: Monday, August 6:
10:31 PM Pacific 12:31 AM Central
11:31 PM Mountain 1:31 AM Eastern
5:31 AM UTC

*MARS GAZING: HOST AN EVENT FOR YOUR VISITORS TO VIEW MARS IN THE NIGHT 
SKY PRIOR TO THE CURIOSITY ROVER LANDING!* Submit your events at
On August 5th 2012, viewers can observe Mars in the night sky with a 
telescope or with the naked eye. At sunset, Mars will sit low in the 
western sky just above the horizon. Viewers will be able to see the 
orange planet Mars in between Saturn and the bright star Spica. At this 
point in its orbit, Mars will be roughly 300 million miles away from 
Earth and the Curiosity Rover will be only hours away from arriving to 
this distant orange dot in the night sky.

*MARS : AN OVERVIEW*
Basic Information on Mars
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mars
Mars Image Collection
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/
3D Images
http://mars3d.jpl.nasa.gov/

*CURIOSITY ROVER LANDING LOCATION*
Destination Gale Crater: August 5, 2012 at 10:31 pm PT
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/?ImageID=3852
Gale's Mount Sharp Compared to Three Big Mountains on Earth
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia15292-Fig2.html
National Parks as Mars Analog Sites
http://www.nps.gov/deva/parknews/mars-and-mojave.htm
Dust devil on Mars
Gale crater
July 2012

*VIDEOS*
Seven Minutes of Terror
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/videos/index.cfm?v=49 ADDITIONAL 
INFORMATION
Official Websites
http://www.nasa.gov/mars
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov
Using NASA Imagery Guidelines
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html

*TUNE IN TO LIVE COVERAGE OF THE CURIOSITY ROVER LANDING*
NASA Media Services Information for Curiosity Rover Landing on 8/5/2012
Landing Coverage begins at 12:00 a.m. EST (9:00 p.m. PST) on the 
following media outlets:
. NASA TV Cable Channel:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv
. Multimedia Information
Explore the Solar System. Change Time and Space with Real Science Data! 
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eyes
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity

*PRE LANDING HANDS- ON SCIENCE ACTIVITIES*
Lesson plans and training are available for those who would like to 
participate in the following hands-on science activities:
All activities will be available for download at the following website. 
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/participate/marsforeducators/soi/
Short 1-3 Hour Activities:
Earth and Mars as a Place for Life: Students construct scale models of 
Earth, Moon, & Mars to discover size and scale. Associated Mars 
Information Slideshow: Through a PowerPoint Presentation, students learn 
about the environmental constraints that would affect human habitation 
of Mars
Soda Straw Rockets: By building rockets out of simple drinking straws, 
students investigate how variations in a rocket's nose cone influences 
distance of flight.
Marsbound: By playing an interactive card game, students create a 
mission that balances science return with mission constraints.
Strange, New Planet: This hands-on lesson using play dough engages 
students in the way in which humans explore planets through a variety of 
missions from Earth-based telescopes to rovers.
Lava Layering: By creating models of lava flows with play dough, 
students analyze the layers that form on a planet to understand its history.


*/http://www.nasa.gov/mars has a Google map for displaying your Mars MSL 
events!/*


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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

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